Archidamus Courage

Action from necessity is a constantly recurring theme in Thucydides’ The Landmark Thucydides: A Comprehensive Guide to the Peloponnesian War. A sentiment used to explain the growth of the Athenian Empire which some Athenians espoused to an assembly at Sparta best quantifies necessity, “. . . we were necessarily compelled at first to advance the hegemony to where it is—especially by fear, and then by honor, and later by benefit.” (Selected Passages 1.75.3). This claim, referred to as the Athenian Thesis, is used to advance the two following implications: all states act with the motivations of fear, honor and interest and no one can condemn a state for doing so. The Athenian Thesis influences the way many of the Athenian elite structure their patterns of reasoning in both noticeable and subtle ways.

This conveys that Athens is confident enough in their security to allow people to enter their city because they believe that they are the most powerful nation of all. However, this is inaccurate because Athens and Sparta were equal in power at the beginning of the war. Thucydides presents courage when he quotes from Pericles that Athens is powerful because they have a natural courage in comparison to a state induced courage like Sparta. However, Thucydides presentation of courage is inaccurate because by talking about the greatness, security, and courage of Athens Pericles is forcing a state induced courage on the Athenian people by giving them no reason to question the outcome of the war. Thucydides presentation of courage and security in Pericles speech was accurate to the citizens of Athens because they are given no other reasons to contradict Pericles claim. Also, the presentation of security and courage is used to make Athens seem greater and more powerful than they actually were to future nations.

It was at this point in the debates that Sparta's King Archidamus revealed his wisdom in both politics and war fighting. Noting Athens' naval

Being brave requires massive strength of mind, body, and spirit. It is being prepared to face adversity. It allows people to face their greatest enemies without fear. Out of all of the characteristics that Odysseus portrays, bravery stands out above all. There are many cases in which this shows up in The Odyssey by Homer. Specific examples that represent Odysseus's bravery are the battle of Cicones, the events at the cyclops cave, and the events with the lotus eaters.

Archidamus was a Spartan king who presided over a nation that prized military success and courage, specifically andreas, or manly courage, above all else. In the beginning of Thucydides’ History of the Peloponnesian war we find him trying to convince the Spartan war council not to wage war against Athens. Spartans were concerned for their reputation as Corcyrans had been mocking them and their apparent cowardice because of their inability to make quick decisions. King Archidamus argued that succumbing to the idea that war would be a good idea, and that Spartan victory was undoubtable was ignorant and would end up harming

In The History of the Peloponnesian War, Thucydides chronicles the events, battles, and democratic processes of the war between Athens and Sparta. Shortly after war broke out, Pericles delivered his funeral oration in honor of the courageous Athenians who already perished in battle. Through his funeral oration, Pericles reveals the true nature of Athenians. Ultimately, they were good natured since all the citizens of Athens willingly and dutifully served their country, and ultimately the common good; the structure of Athens and its government provided many outlets to do so. This relationship between the government and the people delineated itself as one of mutual reciprocity, seeing that the nature of Athenians directly correlated with

The legendary Spartan King, Leonidas and 300 of his formidable royal body guards, led a coalition of Greek warriors against a much larger opponent, the Persian King Xerxes. Against the odds, the Greeks stood their ground and deterred Xerxes’ Army for three days at the Thermopylae Pass, known as the Hot Gates. Xerxes might have won the tactical battle, yet, the Spartans proved superior training, equipment, and intimate familiarity with the terrain were critical force multipliers. The Spartan power, willpower, and determination came from an undying sense of patriotism and duty. 300 Spartans and countless Greeks may have lost their lives at the Thermopylae Pass, nonetheless their courage rallied the Greek states to fight and prevail against a tyrant. The in-depth preparation, tactical expertise, loyalty, and courage these warriors displayed are the defining factors that made this battle a strategic win for the Greeks and would ultimately lead to the Persian Kings defeat.

“Intelligence can do nothing without courage”, a old Chinese proverb thousands years ago that old people always say. In the epic poem by Homer “The Cyclops” and “Cyclops” video part 1 and 2, Odysseus used his intelligence and courage to save he and his friends’ lives.

Courage is when you believe in yourself that you can do anything. Well, In line 270, The Odyssey stated, ‘‘Odysseus was afraid of the cyclops but had the courage to keep moving and he escaped the cyclops cave (379).

O’Brien tells a story about Major Callicles, which is the executive officer of the battalion O’Brien works for as a typist. Major Callicles is a 44-year-old with a hard head built around discipline. Major Callicles shows O’Brien what it takes to have guts and makes an example out of O’Brien to the battalion. Many of the others see Major Callicles as crazy and the type of guy that is going to get people killed, etc. O’Brien sees this side of the Major, but he also respects the Major due to the fact that nobody else has had the kind of inspiration, motivation and dedication impact that the Major has had on him. Major Callicles talks a lot about courage and it even starts out with a quote from Plato saying, “that courage is

Odysseus shows bravery because he says he will make the trip back home alone if his men are scared. For example odysseus says “I’ll make the crossings in my own ship, with my own company” (pg 1213 line 71-72). This shows bravery because he says he will go back out into the ocean even though he just got back from being out there. If he wasn't brave he wouldn't go back out onto the ocean because he just was blown off course by the oceans wind. When odysseus stabs the cyclopes in the eye that shows bravery (pg 1219 line 288-295).

At the very beginning I would like to express excitement by “The Peloponnesian War” and its relevance despite 2400 years afterwards. This book is not only relevant for military science, but civil society too. However, this book provides broad and comprehensive details for all levels of military war: strategic, operational, and tactical. I will focus my paper to the military sphere, more particularly, to the evolution of Spartan strategy throughout the War. My intention is to do so through analysis of ends, ways, means, and merge them with related risk. The purpose of this paper is to explain how the changing environment and circumstances influenced and shaped the strategy of

The Spartans produced what is one of the most iconic military in history. The warriors were known most for their bravery,

The soldier’s lives should be remembered but not their deaths. The speech reminds Athenians what their ancestors have died for and mournful citizens should be proud they died defending the freedom of their country Athens. The oration also reminds Athenians of their greatness because of the fact that Athenian warriors have more to fight for. Athenian warriors are fighting not only for their country but also for their family, friends and other communities in the city. These warriors have more to lose because they are fighting for everyone in the city. During this time possessions were incredibly significant. Wars were usually about gaining land and having as much land as possible. Soldiers were not afraid of dying during combat and chose the most “honorable” course of action by fighting boldly and courageously. In this way, Athens was able to accomplish an enormous army and standard of living, without the harsh everyday training found in city-states.

Compare and contrast Thucydides’ and Socrates’ analyses of the fate of Athenian democracy in war, of why the Athenians went to war, and of how and why they failed.